Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Last I heard, someone named Kishimoto does. Maybe Shonen Jump. I'm not sure, and I'm too lazy to find out.

Author's Note: This chapter is mostly, well almost entirely, conversation between Sarutobi and Naruto, in order to set things up for the majority of the story. Just thought you should know.

Rivers of Hades

Chapter One

Three hours later, Naruto snuck towards the Hokage tower. Last time, he had tried to walk in like everyone else did. That didn't go so well, and Naruto found himself hanging upside down from a nearby tree while various villagers and some shinobi beat him. Luckily, the old man had heard the noise and intervened personally. He hadn't seen any of them since.

When he got within sight of the tower, he looked and gave a sigh of relief. The two guards outside the tower were some of the nicer shinobi, at least from his viewpoint. Two of the ANBU, Inu and Neko, were in plain sight, situated so that they could quickly stop anything that could happen Since they were on duty, he'd be able to get into the tower unharmed.

Forcing himself to ignore the glares he got when he stepped out into the street, he made his way to the tower, smiling at the guards at he walked in. When he got to the waiting room in front of the Hokage's office, the secretary told him to go right on in.

--

Sarutobi was thanking the Kami that while he had been out, his paperwork had only grown by about 25, instead of the usual 50-60. He looked up when he heard the door open, and broke out into a smile when he saw Naruto enter.

"Ah, good. You made it in safely."

"Sure did, oji-san. The villagers didn't do anything more than glare since Inu-san and Neko-chan were out there."

"Well, take a seat and let's get started." Once Naruto had taken a seat, Sarutobi took a deep breath and began to organize his thoughts. "Naruto, what I have to tell you is going to be very difficult for you, I would imagine. It concerns your parents."

"My parents? You know who my parents were? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Yondaime himself, before he died, ordered me not to tell you any of this until I thought you were ready. Even now, I can't tell you everything. Some of it will have to wait until either you turn sixteen, or make Chuunin, whichever comes first."

That stopped Naruto cold. The Yondaime had ordered the old man not to say anything about his parents? What could have possibly made him do that? And there was still more that he couldn't find out until later?

"Are...are my parents still alive?" That was probably the quietest he had ever been in his life.

"Sigh...No. Your mother died soon after you were born. The Kyuubi attack sent her into premature labor, and the stress was just too much. She lived just long enough to name you, and died. Your father died fighting the Kyuubi."

Naruto's eyes dimmed a little after hearing that, especially how his mother died.

"I see. Then what am I doing here?"

"You're here to find out about your mother and her family, the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto's head shot up. "Wait, the Uzumaki CLAN?! And what about my dad's family?"

"Your father's side of the family is what you need to wait for. It was part of what I was told to do concerning you. I was told by the Yondaime that when I judged you ready, to tell you about your mother. When you met either of the requirements for your father's will, you would find out then."

"Wow... So what can you tell me about my mom?"

"Her name was Uzumaki Kushina, heiress of the Uzumaki clan, from Uzu no Kuni."

That got a raised eyebrow from Naruto. "Wait, heiress? And was my family named after the country, or was the country named for my family?"

"Uzu no Kuni was named for the numerous whirlpools which doted her coast. The Uzumaki clan,

before their demise during the collapse of the country, were one of the strongest clans there, as they were one of the few shinobi clans to be found there."

"Whoa. So I'm the last Uzumaki?"

"You are the last known Uzumaki in existence. It's always possible that some of the other clan members survived. For that matter, you are also the last known member of your father's clan."

"I thought you couldn't tell me about him yet."

"You're right, Naruto-kun, I can't tell you much about him. I can't give you his name or whatever inheritance he may have left you, not yet. I can, however, share other, more general, information."

"Oh... So what else do I need to know?"

"Since you aren't that far into the academy, I'll try to simplify this. The Uzumaki clan, in general, had either water or wind as their primary affinity, with the other one as their secondary affinity. This means that they could use Suiton and Fuuton jutsu more easily than the other three types. One of the other pieces of information on your father's clan I can tell you is that they also shared these two affinities, although on occasion, some showed an affinity for Raiton as well."

"So do I have a kekkai genkai or something like that?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that, honestly. Neither of your parent's clans had one, but there is a possibility that the mixture of the two could result in one. We haven't noticed one in you yet, but that could always change later."

"I'll let you know if anything happens, then. So, what made you decide I was ready for all of this, oji-san?"

"Our conversation earlier, at the academy. Both your parents and their clans believed that relying solely on kekkai genkai or clan techniques was foolish. They also felt that such things did not merit special treatment."

Naruto blinked at this. "But in Konoha, that's exactly how things are! If you come from a clan with a kekkai genkai, you're almost guaranteed to be treated like royalty here. The teme is proof of that! How could my parents stand it?"

Sarutobi calmly nodded. "They struggled with it. They hoped that they would be able to change that. They argued with most of the village on the subject. Both clans had believed for a very long time that over-reliance would eventually weaken the shinobi, and become more of a liability than an advantage. So, both clans made it a point to learn as much as they could in any area. They not only learned many different ninjutsu of all types, but tai-, gen-, ken-, and even fuinjutsu. They also expanded that philosophy into non-shinobi areas, too, learning many different crafts and skills. You come from two families of very self-reliant people, Naruto-kun. When I heard you talk about that lecture, I knew you were ready."

At this point, Naruto was in shock, his jaw hanging open. In a little over an hour, he had learned a rather staggering amount about people he would never meet. He may not have any emotional connection to either side of his family, but he found that he was strangely determined to do his best to live up to their high standards.

After taking a little time to gather his wits, he asked, "So... What's next?"

"Next come your mother's clan techniques." Seeing the look on Naruto's face, Sarutobi answered the question before it was even asked. "I said your parents did not approve of relying on clan techniques, not that they didn't have any. I have had the honor of seeing six of your mother's most powerful clan jutsu in action, one of which qualifies as an A-Rnk kinjutsu, and have knowledge of a seventh, an S-Rank kinjutsu."

Nothing could have removed Naruto from the office now. "Wha-what are they?"

Silently, Sarutobi got up from his chair, walked to the back of his office, and opened up a hidden safe behind a false wall with pictures of the holders of the Hokage title. He removed two scrolls, and returned to his desk. He handed one of the scrolls to Naruto, which was sealed with a spiral emblem.

"That Naruto, is everything of the Uzumaki clan archives that can be found within the walls of Konoha. I was made aware that there is a complete library, located underneath what was once the Uzumaki clan compound in Uzu no Kuni. When you are ready for it, you will travel there and retrieve it, if you wish. To this day, the library is undisturbed, as it can only be found, let alone opened by a blood member of the Uzumaki.

Sarutobi waited a few moments for the boy to process that, then continued.

"Now, as for the jutsu I spoke of. It is said that long ago, there were five rivers to be found in Hell: Acheron, the river of sorrow, Cocytus, the icy river of lamentation, Phlegethon, the river of fire, Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, and Styx, river of hate. There were also rumors of a sixth river, Mnemosyne, river of memory. The Uzumaki clan was gifted with the ability to call upon these waters in battle, to great and terrible effect."

Naruto had to manually close his jaw. His mother's family could do that, and they chose not to over-use it? Finally, he manage to say, "That's only six, and which two were the kinjutsu?"

"Each river, when called upon in battle, would produce the effect associated with it. The waters of the Acheron would cause an opponent to be consumed in sorrow. Phlegethon waters would burn continuously, even in the absence of fuels, and so on. The Lethe water, which is the A-Rank, would cause the target to forget anything the user wished. Imagine being able to cause your opponent to forget every technique he or she knows, or making their body forget how to activate a kekkai genkai, even if their mind still remembers how. Hell, you could even make their body forget how to properly channel chakra, ruining their control.

Bug-eyed and chalk-white, Naruto found his voice. "Holy crap! I'm almost afraid to ask about the S-Rank."

"Mnemosyne is the S-Rank, and the one I have never seen. The water would cause someone who drank or was soaked with it to become all-knowing, a mortal god, as it were."

Naruto's jaw found its way to the floor, then through it. "Yowza! That's definitely an S-Rank jutsu!"

"I'm not finished. The human mind is not capable of handling that kind of power. As a result, the afflicted person is driven incurably insane."

"H-how is this possible? To call upon the rivers of Hell, it would be like...like summoning the Shinigami to battle your foes."

Naruto missed Sarutobi flinching at how close he came to describing the final events of the Kyuubi attack.

"I know. It seems too good to be true, yet it is. Finally, the seventh technique is a summoning technique that can only be done near a large, open body of water, like a sea or an ocean. It is known as Kuchiyose: Charybdis. It summons a creature who then creates a giant, inescapable, whirlpool to consume your enemies."

At this point, Naruto was taking shallow, ragged breaths, gripping the Uzumaki scroll hard enough to turn his knuckles white. "I-I-I don't know what to say, oji-san. This is unbelievable. My mother's clan could do stuff like this, and chose not to? Also, how in Kami's name could they have gained the ability to do this?"

Sarutobi closed his eyes, nodded, and made a hmmm-ing sound. Then, he replied, "Naruto-kun, to answer your last question, I have no idea. I never had the chance to ask your mother about it. I would suspect that you might find the answer in the Uzumaki library when you're older."

"Al-alright. Now what's with the other scroll?" Naruto asked, looking at the second scroll for the first time.

"This is your father's clan scroll, your final inheritance when you are ready. I can't give it to you yet, but I want you to know what it looks like and where it is kept." That was Sarutobi's reply as he showed Naruto the emblem holding this scroll shut, wind blowing across the sea, creating waves. He then replaced the scroll in the safe, locking it, and hiding it once again.

"Why is that?"

"I am a ninja, not to mention Hokage, and am required to be realistic. No matter how hard I may try, there is always the chance that I will not be the one to give you this. I may, some time in the next few years, find someone to become the Godaime, and retire again. You would then need to get the scroll from them. I am also an old man, and have lived well beyond the average life expectancy for a ninja. I may die before you meet the requirements to obtain your father's will."

That sobered Naruto. "Oh... so, what now?"

"I want you to channel some chakra into this." Sarutobi handed Naruto a white card, one side covered with seals.

"I've seen some shinobi use things like this. But they didn't have seals on them."

"Those are used to test one's primary affinity. This will analyze the strength of your affinity to all five elements."

"Ok." Channeling chakra into the paper, Naruto saw five different colored bars appear on a graph. Handing the card back to the Sandaime, he waited for the verdict.

"Well, wind is your primary affinity. Water is second, like I said it would be. You have a mild affinity for earth, not as strong as wind and water, but better than average. Fire and lightning, however, are almost beyond your grasp. It will take a lot more effort to properly learn, use, or master those elemental techniques."

"So if I want to use a lot of fire and lightning jutsu, they're going to be very difficult?"

"Yes. It will take about two or three times more effort than someone who has it as a primary affinity."

"Huh. Well, I really don't know how much more I can handle."

A smirk found its way to the old man's at this. 'Then this should be good for a laugh or two.' "One last thing, before you go, then. When you eventually get married, it would be best for her to be a wind or water affinity as well, if she's a kunoichi."

He wasn't disappointed. That proved to be enough to snap Naruto's mind, and he blacked out, falling out of the chair.

"Ahh, that was worth it." Chuckling, Sarutobi got Naruto over to a couch on the side of his office, one normally reserved for when he needed a break, but couldn't leave the office.

Half an hour later, he heard the moans and groan signaling Naruto's return to consciousness.

"Ugh... what in the elemental countries happened?"

"Heh, heh. You took in a little too much in one sitting."

"Yeah... I'll be going, then. I want to start reading this as soon as I can."

"Actually, that's a storage scroll. Inside are seals containing pretty much everything your mother wanted you to have now. I'd imagine inside you'd find information on clan policies, taijutsu styles, other clan jutsu, and things like that. You might even find pictures or a journal."

"Oh, cool. I'll have to visit if there's something I don't understand. For some reason, the academy teachers don't answer my questions."

'Sigh... I don't believe this. I'm too old for this.' "Feel free to visit when you can. You'll probably get some experience in my job if you do."

"Cool!! One thing I want to figure out is how to take care of all this paperwork. You always seem to be doing that whenever you're here, and I don't want to be stuck in here all the time."

"Naruto-kun, if you can find a way to defeat this paperwork, I will personally train you to take over for me."

That got a big grin out of the boy. "Be careful. I might just take you up on that offer."

"If you can show me a way to finish this up in less time, you will have earned it."

"I'll see what I can think of, then. Bye oji-san." With that Naruto headed off for Ichiraku's, then home.

-- -

Ok, so pairing wise, I'm thinking one of two girls. Hinata and Temari. I could stretch it to fit Tenten, but the way I see the story going would work best with Hinata or Temari. I don't have a problem with other pairings, but they wouldn't work for this fic.

As far as making this into a harem fic, it's a possibility, but I wouldn't go beyond the three girls I've named. I find it annoying when harem fics have every female character ever named go after one guy, unless that was the intent of the original work. Two or three girls, however, I have no problem with.

Here's the part I want your input on. Should Naruto take Sarutobi up on his offer when he graduates? You'll have a couple chapters to decide.

Next chapter: New Training